Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Grizzly habitat question

Rolling east out of Yellowstone this past summer it was of considerable concern to me that the nearest tent camping was about thirty miles outside the park. The reason for my concern was that I was on a bicycle and, dependent on terrain thirty miles can be a long way, especially after riding 30 miles over a pass justto reach the park boundary.

There were two campsites along the way outside the park closer to the park boundary, but “hard shell” (ie RV and trailer) camping only due to potential problems with bears.

As it turned out I had nothing to worry about, from the top of Sylvan Pass in Yellowstone it’s downhill or level all the way to Cody (50 miles?), and I had a tailwind that wouldn’t quit. Covered that distance in an afternoon and still had lots of daylight left when I stopped short at Bill Cody Lake, not wanting to pay Cody hotel prices.

Glad I weren’t going the other way, that same stretch could have meant two nights camping alone in griz country.

A nervous thing for a newby like me.

It sucks when you're part of the food chain. Watch your back and good luck on your hunt.

Some other members here have told me that it's amazing that an animal of that size can move through the woods and not make a sound.

Grizzlies seem to like various rodents and will expend energy all out of proportion to the reward to get them. I' ve seen excavations eight feet across and six feet deep where a grizzly has tried to dig out a pika which might weigh a pound. Also, there may be grasses or shrubs which they like and which we wouldn't notice. GD

Our Grizzlies don't generally kill Livestock, they eat the deadstock or nearly dead on summer range. However will kill all your chickens and hogs with glee, with rocking ball type damage to the building's involved .
Horses die on the trail and old horses are lead up there and shot .

You never know what they might be up to. Could be a carcass in the area. Several years ago I came upon a cow that had very recently died. It had been opened up and the meat was still fresh looking. This was out in sagebrush probably 2 miles from the nearest timber. I came back a couple days later from downwind and peaked over a ridge to see a large ornery looking grizzly at the carcass. Put my feet in reverse and quietly put distance between me and the bear. I was hoping to catch a black bear on the carcass but knew there was a good chance I'd find a grizzly there. Glad it didn't wind me and glad I found the carcass when there was no bear on it.

This may seem hard to believe, but a substantial part of the grizzlies diet ( when in the higher terrain) is moths (very high in calories) and White Bark Pine nuts. I still have difficulty envisioning a several hundred pound bear, filling-up on moths! memtb

Always be on the lookout for birds, they can often tip you off to the location of a carcass...and maybe a bear

Moths are something I wouldnt have thought would be worth the energy catching. Grubs maybe. Interesting.

We have had an infestation of tent caterpillars for years here. The bears love them. Usually momma sends one of the chillins up to break off the branch for the feast. S spray my apples just to prevent that damage.

I have seen bears working open scree slopes for cutworm moths. They will flip rocks all day and eat thousands of moths.

From a more selfish reason I am glad many are afraid of these bears and it keeps them in safe confines.
I recently have discovered that camo is an attractant.
Believe it? Maybe it is true, don't risk it.

Grizzlies really hit the moths around here!

Last week some friends were coming back from town. When they pasted the PD town at Oregon Basin there was a grizzly out there trying to catch PD's.

Where does a Grizzly Bear go? Anywhere he damn well pleases.
Paul B.